Making Flippy Floppy

A new Orange Television (my ongoing music project) album is starting to come together and it's likely to be instrumental. Well, not exactly instrumental, but with sampled voices instead of me singing. It's a move away from the more pop stuff I'd being doing the last few years. I'm bored with that notion, and am sick of hearing my own voice. I never really wanted to be a singer but I did it cause I couldn't find anyone else who wanted to do it. It's freeing to not have to worry about lyrics and doing frustrating vocal takes over and over and I'm quite happy with the 4 tracks I have so far. So happy, in fact, I've already added them all to my OTV MySpace page. "Hagadonia" was made for the video project of the same name (see previous blog entry below) and features a sample from a Ben Arnold track in which he ponders the question "Will they ever change in Coeur d'Alene?" "Oriental vegetables in the UK" samples from a gardening podcast by the lovely Emma, "Please Master" is quite x-rated and samples the poet Allen Ginsberg reading his 1968 homoerotic opus of the same name, and "The Hair" features an audio poem I found in a random web search by the speech-impeded James Stewart.

Labels: MP3, OTV

She was truly one of the beautiful people, a rare wonderful creature whose positive outlook transcended the bullshit and set forth an attitude of acceptance and humanity. The absence of her outrageous, fabulous spirit leaves a giant hole in the fabric of our culture. There will never be another quite like her... Update: Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog has stopped obsessing over Condi's hairdo long enough to post some fantastic Tammy Faye MP3's to download. Tammy may be long gone, but that delightfully grating caterwaul of a voice will reverberate forever.

Labels: Links, Memorial, MP3, Retro Fun, Tammy Faye

Bernice is an older woman who has worked the counter at a downtown Coeur d'Alene convenience store/gas station for many years. About seven years ago, I lived in a house with with Bradley (of Swivek fame) that was a block away from her store, and we would shop there sometimes several times a day. At first Bernice seemed a bit worse for the wear and slightly on the cranky side. However, the more we frequented, the more we wore away her rough and tough exterior and the sweeter she became. At one point I was worried because poor Bernice started losing her hair and I realized she was undergoing cancer treatment. She wasn't around for about a year and I was glad when I came in one day to see her back behind the counter again where she belonged, fully recovered. Since I moved from that house, I haven't seen her very much - I have a different, closer neighborhood store now. The other day, I felt the chugalug my truck likes to make when it's about to run out of gas, and I happened to be a few blocks from her store. It was nice to see her, still there, her eyes lit up like I was a long-lost friend, and that actually made me feel good. Godspeed, Bernice! Anyway, the point of all this is that seeing her reminded me of a classic little ditty about our dear Bernice that I co-wrote and recorded with Bradley doing vocals back in 2000. Here's the lyrics to follow along to, or just to enjoy if you can't or won't download the actual song. MP3 follows...

Bernice (B.Jacobson / P. English)

I’m covered in grease, Bernice Kiss me at least, Bernice When I come in from pumping gas You take my cash, you silver lass Bernice Do you dance like Syd Charisse, Bernice When you die you rest in peace, Bernice You never breakfast on cookies and beer But you’re the only reason I’m here Bernice I cross my eyes, I cross my legs Baby, I walk a thousand steps And take you home in bags Bernice, oh Bernice Some people say maybe she’s gay But I don’t see Bernice that way She got my number, she won’t look me up She knows I’m not just some young pup It’s her destination the convenience store vocation She stocks it up, knocks it up, locks it up And always rocks it up When she walks she stomps When she eats she chomps..she chomps She chomps

She’s my favorite sinner, always the winner If she were thinner she wouldn’t be my Bernice I cross my eyes, I cross my legs Baby I walk a thousand steps I cross my eyes, I cross my legs Baby you’re the bees knees I can take you as I please Bernice

Labels: MP3

Tribute albums are strange creatures. The last big trend in that sometimes sticky realm was "A String Quartet Tribute To..." and no-one seemed immune, from Britney Spears to Dead Can Dance. It seemed that literally every musical act had some mysterious String Quartet tribute CD on the racks. Were there all performed by the same String Quartet or what? Who buys these pointless and likely unlistenable silver coasters? The latest thing in the world of tribute LPs is rock classics turned into children's music. Devo 2.0 was that band's hits lyrically tamed down a notch and sung by teen girls. I've heard something about an upcoming Ramones-For-Kids project of some kind. Oddest of all, however, is the Rock-a-Bye Baby series of releases on Baby Rock Records. These albums feature soothing, music-box-esque "lullaby renditions" of over a dozen rock artists including: Pixies, Radiohead, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Tool, and my favorite, The Cure. With the latter's lullaby tribute, the focus is primarily on the band's poppier hits (Friday I'm In Love, Boys Don't Cry, Close to Me.) My favorite is today's MP3 pick, a plonkity-plonk dreamy version of Disintegration's Homesick in which the lovely melody of the tune is brought out of the original's beautifully doomy muck. The music's not bad - it's not synthesized like one might expect but performed live on acoustic guitars, dulcimers, and xylophones. It makes good background music for just chilling with a book and relaxing.

Labels: MP3

Labels: MP3